Method for obtaining printing media having relief effect

ABSTRACT

A method for obtaining printing media having relief effect including the removal of the background and the natural shadow of an object by exposing a film in succession to a screen positive and to a positive mask to obtain a screened negative of the object with its shadows and background removed. The positive mask is mechanically used with a negative mask to photographically obtain a screened negative shadow of the object. Then, another film is exposed to the screened negative and to the screened negative shadow of the object to form a screened positive of the object provided with an added shadow, wherein the background and original shadows have been removed to obtain the desired relief effect for the printed media.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Marcel Pelletier;

Irving V. Nissman, both of Brooklyn, N.Y. [21] AppL No. 757,691 22 Filed Sept. 5, 1968 [45] Patented Sept. 21, 1971 [73] Assignee Marvic Advertising Corporation Brooklyn, N.Y.

[54] METHOD FOR OBTAINING PRINTING MEDIA HAVING RELIEF EFFECT 2 Claims, 12 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 96/44 [5 l Int. Cl G03c 5/06 [50] Field of Search 96/44 [5 6] Referencw Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 887,845 5/1908 Reckard 96/44 1 ,725,395 371329 Fruwirth 96/44 2,286,883 6/1942 Weber 96/44X Primary Examiner-- David Klein Attorney-Friedman & Goodman ABSTRACT: A method for obtaining printing media having relief effect including the removal of the background and the natural shadow ofan object by exposing a film in succession to a screen positive and to a positive mask to obtain a screened negative of the object with its shadows and background removed. The positive mask is mechanically used with a negative mask to photographically obtain a screened negative shadow of the object. Then, another film is exposed to the screened negative and to the screened negative shadow of the object to form a screened positive of the object provided with an added shadow, wherein the background and original shadows have been removed to obtain the desired relief effect for the printed media.

PATENTEDSEP21 197i 3.607" 274 sum 1 or 2 He. I. l F162.

FIG. 4

MARCEL PELLETIER IRVING V. NISSMAN INVENTORFJ ATT ORNEYS METHOD FOR OBTAINING PRINTING MEDIA HAVING RELIEF EFFECT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a process for obtaining printing media having relief effect by photographic and mechanical means.

2. Description of the Prior Art These printing media which have relief effects are of course well known, that is to say printed matter wherein the lettering or figures contained thereon appear to stand out" to the eyes of the viewer. This is generally accomplished by eliminating the shadows and background obtained with an ordinary photograph of the actual letters or figures and replacing them with shading desired to give a relief effect, so that the letters, and the like, appear to stand out" from the printed sheet when rephotographed. To date, no satisfactory economical or easy-way of accomplishing this effect has been achieved. While the aforementioned blocking out of the shadows and background of the photograph of the actual articles can be done manually, this results in a process which is fantastically expensive, as well as time consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, among one of the principal objectives of this invention to provide a method for obtaining printing media having relief effect which will be economically advantageous over the prior art methods, as well as extremely simple when compared thereto.

In accordance with the present invention there has now been discovered a process for obtaining these printing media having relief effect which comprises removing the background and the natural shadow of a screened photograph and replacing it by one made mechanically and photographically.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. I represents the starting transparency;

FIG. 2 represents a negative mask of the transparency of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents a screened positive of the transparency of FIG. ll;

FIG. 4 represents a positive of the negative mask of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 represents a negative with the background removed according to the invention;

FIG. 6 represents a positive shadow obtained by combining FIGS. 2 and 4 according to the invention;

FIG. 7 represents a negative of the positive shadow of FIG.

FIG. 8 represents the finished positive having the desired invention relief effect, i.e., no background and a shadow added to each miniature figure;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are, respectively, a perspective and a sectioned elevational view of a frame used in the practice of the method hereof; and

FIGS. II and 12 are enlarged, diagrammatic elevational views of progressive positions of relative movement of the parts of the frame, with their attachments, to produce the positive shadow of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present process involves the removal of the background and natural shadow of a screened photograph, or a set of screened four-color process positives and negatives, and replacing the natural shadow by one made mechanically and photographically.

Starting with the transparency illustrated by FIG. 1, showing a number of miniature charms, with their natural shadow and background, the image thereof is projected via an enlarger onto an easel and the outline of each charm is traced onto a sheet of white paper affixed to the easel. The outline is then filled in so as to give a mask. The mask is next reduced by camera to the exact size of the negative to be used for printing and there is obtained the negative mask (FIG. 2) of the transparency of FIG. I.

Thereafter, a screened positive (FIG. 3) of the transparency of FIG. I is made, the screened positive being obtained by the use of a contact screen.

Next, the negative mask (FIG. 2) is reversed to yield a positive mask (FIG. 4).

By exposing the screened positive (FIG. 3) to a film and then replacing it by the positive mask (FIG. 4), there is then obtained a negative (FIG. 5) which has only the actual photographs of each item and no background and no shadow.

The practice of the method of the present invention next contemplates use of a two-part frame 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 9, 110. Frame I0, in its preferred form, includes a stationary bottom frame I2 having a central opening I20 and a movable upper frame M also provided with a central opening Ma. Bottom frame I2 further includes at ilts right side, as viewed in FIG. I0, a pair of spaced-apart upstanding members I6 projected through slots 18 in the upper frame 14, the free ends of which members 16 are inserted in a connecting body 16a. Cooperating with the resulting structure 16, 16a is a similarly upstanding body 20 formed integral with the upper frame I4 and also a threadably adjustable member 22 which is threadably engaged in a threaded bore in the body 16a and, at its distal end, bears against the body 20. Thus, by rotating the threaded member 22 in an appropriate direction, in this case, clockwise, it is possible to slowly slidably move the upper frame 14 relative to the lower frame 12, the direction of sliding movement being to the left as viewed in FIG. 10. To guide the upper frame 14 during this sliding movement there are cooperating guide members 24, 26, respectively connected to the lower and upper frames 12, I4.

The manner in which the two-part frame 10 is used in the practice of the present invention can best be understood from the simplified diagrammatic illustrations of FIGS. I1 and I2 which illustrate the frames in progressive positions of movement. Specifically, the starting condition of the frames I2, I4 is illustrated in FIG. 11. This condition consists of a negative mask NM (FIG. 2) being secured in place within the frame opening Ma. At this time, similarly secured in place, but in the opening 12a of the lower frame, is an arrangement of a positive mask PM (FIG. 4), a magenta Kodak contact screen S, and a sheet of film F. The contact screen is a halftone contact screen. At this time, the negative mask NM and the positive mask PM should be in perfect registration. In FIGS. I1, I2, crosshatching has been used to designate the opaque areas of the masks NM, PM.

The arrangement just described is then exposed to a pinpoint source of light, preferably located approximately 8 feet away, for a preferred exposure duration of approximately 30 seconds. During this exposure period, by proper manipulation of the treadably adjustable member 22, the upper frame 14 is moved slowly to the left of the lower frame 12, so that the relative movement of the masks NM and PM is translatory and parallel, being in a plane parallel to each other and to the screen S and the film F, with the result, as illustrated in FIG. I2, that light passes through the arrangement of masks and through the screen S to cause selective area exposure of the film F. As generally understood, the halftone contact screen S is effective to cause light dispersion over the exposed area which in turn produces small dotlike exposed areas on the film F. Moreover, since at the first instance of movement of the upper frame 14 relative to the lower frame 12, a film area is exposed which continues to be exposed during the entire 30- second duration, while, in contrast, at the end of the exposure duration the adjacent areas are exposed, of necessity, for correspondingly lesser periods of time, the dots in the initially exposed area are heaviest in character. This in turn produces the shadow effect consisting of heavy and fine dots as illustrated in the positive shadow of FIG. 6.

Thereafter, the positive shadow of FIG. 6 is reversed into the negative shadow of FIG. 7. The negative of FIG. is exposed and then the negative of FIG. 7 is exposed.

The film obtained from successive exposure to the negatives of FIG. 5 and FIG. 7 is the finished positive of FIG. 8 consisting of the miniature charms having no background but displayed with the added shadow.

Thus there is obtained a finished screened positive giving the desired relief effect to the printed media.

What is claimed is:

l. A process of forming a printing media having a shadow causing a relief effect which comprises the steps of:

1. making a transparency of an object, its shadows and background;

2. making a negative mask only of said object of said transparency;

3. making a screened positive of said transparency;

4. making a positive mask of said negative mask;

5. exposing a film in succession to said screen positive and to said positive mask to obtain a screened negative of said object with its shadows and background removed;

6. superimposing in registration said negative mask and positive mask on a contact screen which in turn is superimposed on a second film;

7. exposing said second film through assembly of step (6) to a pinpoint source of light while said positive and negative masks are moved relative to each other in a translatory mode, said contact screen breaking up resulting shadow into dots ranging from heavy to very fine, thereby obtaining a screened positive shadow of said object;

8. reversing said positive shadow of said object of step (7) into a screened negative shadow of said object; and

9. exposing a third film to said screened negative of said object of step (5), and then exposing said third film to said screened negative shadow of said object of step (7) to form a screened positive of said object provided with an added shadow with the background and original shadows removed.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein said negative mask of step (2) is obtained by projecting an enlarged image of said transparency onto an easel upon which is affixed a sheet of white paper, thence tracing the outline of said object onto said sheet and filling in said outline to yield a mask of said object and reducing said mask photographically to the exact size of the negative to be used for printing. 

2. making a negative mask only of said object of said transparency;
 2. A process according to claim 1, wherein said negative mask of step (2) is obtained by projecting an enlarged image of said transparency onto an easel upon which is affixed a sheet of white paper, thence tracing the outline of said object onto said sheet and filling in said outline to yield a mask of said object and reducing said mask photographically to the exact size of the negative to be used for printing.
 3. making a screened positive of said transparency;
 4. making a positive mask of said negative mask;
 5. exposing a film in succession to said screen positive and to said positive mask to obtain a screened negative of said object with its shadows and background removed;
 6. superimposing in registration said negative mask and positive mask on a contact screen which in turn is superimposed on a second film;
 7. exposing said second film through assembly of step (6) to a pinpoint source of light while said positive and negative masks are moved relative to each other in a translatory mode, said contact screen breaking up resulting shadow into dots ranging from heavy to very fine, thereby obtaining a screened positive shadow of said object;
 8. reversing said positive shadow of said object of step (7) into a screened negative shadow of said object; and
 9. exposing a third film to said screened negative of said object of step (5), and then exposing said third film to said screened negative shadow of said object of step (7) to form a screened positive of said object provided with an added shadow with the background and original shadows removed. 